Extra cash to fix county's roads

MORE than £3million extra has been given to the county council to improve the state of Worcestershire's roads.

The funding is the county's share of the additional £333million the Chancellor made available in his Autumn statement to repair, renew and extend the life of roads across England.

From next April Worcestershire County Council will receive just over £2.1million and more than £1.1million 2014/15, on top of the normal funding it receives from the Government. This year it spent close to £29million on highway maintenance.

Neighbouring Warwickshire will get more than £2.8million over the two years.

The money can be used for road resurfacing, maintenance to bridges or repairing damage to highways caused by severe weather such as the recent flooding. A condition of accepting the money means the council will have to publish a statement on its website at the end of the financial year explaining to residents how the extra funds have been spent.

Transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said: "This extra money will support economic growth and development by helping local authorities in the West Midlands to get the best out of their local road networks."

Coun John Smith, responsible for highways and transport on the council, said the funds would be added to the existing maintenance programme and would be spent on general road repairs or specific projects.

"A huge amount of work has been carried out over the past three years to improve and repair the road network across the county, and we're very proud of the achievements in this area," he said.

"But of course the work isn't over yet as we continue to work to maintain and extend the life of our roads, and the extra funds awarded by the Government will support us in this.

"Worcestershire's roads are of critical importance to our residents, as has been shown in the recent round of Have Your Say road shows, where many people took the time to speak with councillors and council officers about their thoughts and concerns, so we know our residents will join us in celebrating this excellent news."